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Meaning & use

haunted

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈhɔːn.tɪd/
US/ˈhɔːn.t̬ɪd/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Said to be visited by ghosts or spirits.

    Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a haunted house, the castle is haunted.

    Patterns

    • a haunted house
    • be haunted by someone

    The villagers avoided the haunted house at the end of the lane.

    Legend says the old hotel is haunted by a former guest.

    The children dared each other to enter the haunted castle.

  2. adjectivecomparablefigurative

    Troubled again and again by a painful memory, fear or worry.

    Grammar: Often with by: haunted by guilt; can describe looks or minds.

    Patterns

    • be haunted by something
    • a haunted look

    He was haunted by the memory of the accident.

    The soldier had a haunted expression in his eyes.

    She remained haunted by the question of what she could have done.

Word forms

comparativemore haunted
superlativemost haunted

Common combinations

a haunted house
We visited a haunted house at Halloween.
haunted by memories
She is still haunted by memories of the war.
a haunted look
He had a haunted look after the night shift.
allegedly haunted
The theater is allegedly haunted.
haunted by guilt
He was haunted by guilt for years.

Synonyms and how they differ

spooky
Spooky is informal and describes any eerie place or feeling, not only one that ghosts visit.
tormented
Tormented describes mental suffering in a figurative sense and does not suggest ghosts.
eerie
Eerie describes an unsettling atmosphere, without the claim that spirits are actually present.
plagued
Plagued suggests being troubled by repeated problems and is less about ghosts or memories.

Opposites

untroubledcarefree

Word family

haunt verb
to appear repeatedly as a ghost, or to trouble the mind
haunt noun
a place visited often
haunting adjective
sad and beautiful in a way that stays in memory
hauntingly adverb
in a way that lingers in the mind

Commonly confused: haunted or hunted?

haunted vs hunted

Hunted is from hunt, to chase animals or people, while haunted relates to ghosts or lingering memories.

Practice

For years after the accident she was ___ by the memory of the crash.

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